Opposing-hinged doors on vehicles include a first door, e.g., a forward door, and a second door, e.g., a rearward door, arranged on the same side of the vehicle, longitudinally adjacent to each other, with the second door disposed nearer a second end or back of the vehicle than the first door. Each of the opposing-hinged doors pivots open in an opposite direction. More specifically, the first door includes a forward edge disposed nearer the first end of the vehicle and a rearward edge disposed nearer a second end of the vehicle. The first door is hinged along a forward edge of the first door, and pivots open about a first rotation axis in a first rotation direction such that the rearward edge of the first door swings away from the vehicle when opening the first door and toward the vehicle when closing the first door. The second door also includes a forward edge disposed nearer the first end of the vehicle and a rearward edge disposed nearer the second end of the vehicle. The second door is hinged along the rearward edge of the second door, and pivots about a second rotation axis in a second rotation direction, which is opposite the first rotation direction, such that the forward edge of the second door swings away from the vehicle when opening the second door and toward the vehicle when closing the second door. Accordingly, the first door and the second door open and close in opposite directions.
Opposing-hinged doors may not include a body pillar disposed between the first door and the second door. When no body pillar exists between the first door and the second door, the first door and the second door are arranged immediately adjacent each other in sealing engagement. Typically, the opposing-hinged doors are arranged such that the more forward door, i.e., the first door, must be opened prior to and in order to open the more rearward door, i.e., the second door. In other words, opening the more rearward second door is dependent upon opening the more forward first door beforehand.
Some vehicle designs include the first door and the second door defining a tumblehome portion. The tumblehome portion is an upper portion of the door that slopes upward and inboard, i.e., upward and toward the center of the vehicle. When the tumblehome portion of the opposing-hinged doors is large enough, i.e., when an upper edge of the first and second doors extend laterally away from and inward toward the center of the vehicle from a rotation axis centerline of the first and second doors a sufficient distance, then the lateral edges along the tumblehome portions of the doors may contact each other and otherwise interfere with each other when the doors are opened simultaneously. This is because the rearward edge of the tumblehome portion of the first door moves closer toward the second door as the first door swings open about the first rotation axis, and the forward edge of the tumblehome portion of the second door moves closer toward the first door as the second door swings open about the second rotation axis.